Transcript Centre for Higher and Adult Education (CHAE) Promoting teaching and learning scholarship through postgraduate studies in the field of higher education Conference on.

Centre for Higher and Adult Education (CHAE)
Promoting teaching and learning scholarship through
postgraduate studies in the field of higher education
Conference on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning
22-23 May 2007
Prof Eli M. Bitzer & Dr Ruth M. Albertyn
Centre for Higher and Adult Education
Stellenbosch University, South Africa
[email protected]; [email protected]
Introduction
• Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) has been
researched in many different ways and contexts (Boyer
1990; Davis & Chandler 1998; Jenkins & Healy 2005; Bitzer 2006)
• One area relatively unexplored is whether formal
postgraduate studies in the field of higher
education and in teaching and learning in
particular contribute to the SoTL
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Introduction (cont.)
• The Faculty of Education at Stellenbosch
University offers two postgraduate programmes
in the field of higher education: The MPhil
(Higher Education) and the PhD
• More than 50 students, comprising mostly
academic staff from higher education institutions
and including staff from Stellenbosch University,
have graduated from these programmes in the
past number of years
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Aims
• To provide a brief outline of what these
programmes entail
• To report on data obtained from graduates in
an open-ended question of whether studies in
higher education had assisted their
professional and scholarly growth, particularly
in the area of the SoTL
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Outline of MPhil Higher Education
Primary aim:
to equip students with scholarly knowledge, skills and
attitudes to function optimally, as professional learning
facilitators, in their respective higher education
institutions
Secondary aim:
to facilitate research knowledge and skills with students
to assist them in conducting educational research in
the subjects/fields they teach or work
Generic learning outcomes: self-management, problem
solving, critical evaluation, effective communication and
systemic thought
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Outcomes
• Interpret and evaluate national and international
perspectives on higher education;
• Demonstrate insight into how student learning takes
place and how facilitation of learning influences higher
education outcomes;
• Analyse, critique and improve own curriculum planning
and implementation;
• Appreciate the role of the higher education teacher
against background of forms of scholarship;
• Plan, execute and evaluate learning facilitation;
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Outcomes (cont.)
• Know and apply research traditions and effectively use
research methodology in field of higher education;
• Use technology as medium of support and delivery in
higher education;
• Know and use assessment and evaluation techniques in
higher education;
• Plan and utilise staff evaluation and -development
strategies, especially concerning effectiveness of teaching
and learning; and
• Demonstrate knowledge of and perspectives on
leadership and leadership development in a higher
education environment.
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Structure and credit value
Module
Topic
Credit value
1
Perspectives in higher education
10
2
Student learning in higher education
10
3
Foundations of research
10
4
Research in higher education
15
5
Curriculum and programme design in higher
education
15
6
Assessment and evaluation in higher education
15
7
Teaching in higher education
15
8
Scholarship in higher education **
15
9
Technology in higher education **
15
10
Staff development in higher education **
15
11
Leadership in higher education **
15
12
Research thesis***
120
TOTAL
240
YEAR ONE
YEAR TWO
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* Not all modules are offered every year. Modules are offered every alternative year.
** A selection of two modules from 8, 9, 10 or 11
** The main part of the thesis is usually written in the second semester of the second year
Target group & admission requirements
Target group:
• lecturers,
• facilitators of learning and
• Staff developers and educational leaders of higher education
institutions.
Admission requirements:
• an Honours degree in any field, and currently employed in higher
education environment; or
• any other academic-professional combination of studies equal to
an Honours degree (Senate approved), and currently employed in
a higher education environment; or
• evidence that candidate has reached standard of competence in
higher education, demonstrated through the process of evaluation
of prior learning and Senate approved.
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Assessment
Formative/continuous assessment methods:
• Assignments completed within students’ institutional
contexts for each module (1-11);
• Group activities and tasks for each of the 11 modules
during a two-week residential period at the beginning of
each year;
• Learning sessions, facilitated by students during the
residential period; and
• Self-reflective statements spanning the total time of study.
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Assessment (cont.)
Final assessment includes the following:
• A thesis on chosen topic focusing on a higher education
issue
• An oral examination on the submitted thesis
(The thesis can, alternatively, be replaced by a research
portfolio consisting of case-studies and research
reports culminating in at least two publishable academic
articles)
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Programme facilitation
• Eleven modules are presented over a period of two years
• A short and compulsory residential period of two weeks, usually in February,
introduces each study year
• Students are required to attend and participate in all modules during the
residential period
• Students can choose two from the final four modules to complete
assignments on
• The rest of the programme is presented via distance education (assignments
and electronic and postal feedback)
• Learning is facilitated via structured study materials, written assignments and
feedback, as well as telephonic and electronic contact
• When students do their research thesis, a research proposal has to be
approved and regular meetings between students and supervisors are
scheduled
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The PhD (in Higher Education)
• Admission: A Master’s in any field (or equivalent
via RPL) and involved in higher education
(teaching, development or management)
• Additional work (e.g. Social Research modules)
might be required before admission in some cases
• Research proposal approved via Faculty of
Education
• Research dissertation
• Oral examination on the dissertation
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Programme staff
• Academic staff from the Centre for Higher and
Adult Education, Department of Curriculum
Studies in the Faculty of Education facilitate
programmes and provide study supervision
• Various guest lecturers, including local
academics and academics from abroad,
contribute to the programme and offer a wide
variety of experience and perspectives
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Exit questionnaire
• Aim: to investigate experiences of postgraduate MPhil or PhD
students in the Department of Curriculum Studies (Centre for
Higher and Adult Education) between 2001 and 2006
• Sample: students registered between 2001 and 2006 (graduated and
discontinued-78 students)
• Measuring instrument:
• Based on questionnaire designed for previous study (Centre for Higher and
Adult Education)
• Adaptations made to include constructs identified in the studies of Manathunga,
(2005), McCormack (2005) and Lindén (1999)
• Peer reviewed
• Biographical, study information, Likert-scale questions on students' needs and
supervision needs, and open-ended questions on students' postgraduate
experience
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Findings: 2001-2006
MPhil H.E.
PhD
Graduated
n
15
15
Ave years registered
4.5
3.6
n
12
5
Ave years registered
3.3
3
n
12
12
Ave years registered
2.8
3.2
Suspended
Current (registered in 2007)
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Findings
Reason for studying
• Knowledge
• Scholarship
• Qualification
• Facilitation skills
• Employer imperative
• Interest
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Influence of studies on
professional development
Personal
Self-confidence
Assertiveness
Ability to work
under pressure
Value hard work
Discipline
Perseverance
Commitment
Motivation
Determination
Flexibility
More balanced
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Workplace
Legitimacy
Credibility
Esteem from
colleagues
Better team player
Promotion
Work opportunities
Increased income
Facilitation skills
Presentation skills
Management
Preparation of
programmes for HE
Skills
World view
Academic writing
Conceptual
Logical reasoning
Integration
Synthesis
Research skills
Data analysis
Interpretation
Analytical skills
Critical thinking
Creativity
Broader
frame
of
reference
Evidence of scholarship of teaching
1.Systematically investigate questions related
to practice beyond the classroom (Hutchings &
Shulman 1999)
• “better understanding of the changing landscape of
higher education environment”
• “I have a much wider frame of reference with regards to
education and training issues”
• “Research develops the ability for creative thinking and
enquiry, learning which skills are required to function
effectively in the fast paced technological era we live in”
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Evidence of scholarship of teaching (cont.)
2. Enticing future scholars- continual
process (Boyer 1990; Rice 1992; Glassick, Huber & Maerhoff 1997;
Shulman 2004)
• "I feel like studying throughout my life”
• “…knowledge that I must continuously keep abreast
of current development in my field”
• “The postgraduate studies have given me new insight
into the whole process of doing research. I am better
equipped to assist students intending to do research
at my institution”
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Evidence of scholarship of teaching (cont.)
3. Reflection of practice and making teaching
processes public (Queens University, California 2003)
• “Attended a few local conferences and became part of
an academic network”
• “I developed confidence in my profession and I'm in a
position to share my knowledge based on proven
theories, because I practice what I preach on a daily
basis. My peers and colleagues show respect, because
they benefit from the knowledge I gained since I share it
with them”
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Evidence of scholarship of teaching (cont.)
4. Forming new conceptions of teaching and
learning (Trigwell, Martin & Prosser 2000)
• “enabled me to do my teaching job better and with
more knowledge”
• “ I have improved my strategies of dealing with
learners’ and educators’ problems”
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Evidence of scholarship of teaching (cont.)
5. Improvement of SoTL through
experimentation and evaluation (Tait 2005)
• “I was able to become more involved in the research
area through workshop presentations”
• “I've been drawn in to projects that previously I know
I would not have been part of”
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Conclusions
• Results indicate that postgraduate studies in higher
education benefit academic staff in a number of ways
• Limiting factors identified through this study need to be
considered when academic staff aim to improve their
standing regarding the SoTL via formal qualifications
Evidence suggests that promotion of the
scholarship of teaching and learning can be
enhanced through a formal postgraduate
qualification in higher education
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